Epistles Greatest Hits Vol.2: Standing Outside the Fire

I guess it was a few weeks back.

Karl emailed and asked if I would be willing to come today.

He said he's moving. A freshman in at college won't be here today.

And I thought, well, Karl, I got a freshman starting in college too.

And he said, I know that's what makes this work so well, is you can fill in.

It's like nobody ever left.

So I don't think they're going to see it that way.

But sure, why not?

And then he said, but this is the topic that we're we're going through.

We're looking at these songs that go to popular writings from Paul's letters.

I thought, dude, that's awesome.

I was like, I love music, I love the classics, man.

I will sit and I will listen for hours to classical music, classic rock, classic country,

all that stuff. I will just let it play.

I love that stuff.

I thought, this is going to be fun.

He said, well, here's your text, second Corinthians chapter 12, verse one through ten.

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

He said, not a problem.

Wait a minute, there's a problem.

What song can I use to go with second Corinthians chapter 12, verses one through ten.

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

And I thought about this for days and days turned into weeks.

And I thought, man, what song is this going to be?

And then I was reminded of a song that I came across in 1993.

Yes. 1993, a song by Garth Brooks.

A song titled Standing Outside the Fire.

Show of hands. Who's who's familiar with standing outside?

Good, good.

So you know what it's like to listen to good country.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

I'm not going to go into the debate on good country, whether it's older or younger or

newer. But Garth Brooks had this song back in 1993, and the song started with these

lyrics. We called them cool, those hearts that have no scars to show the ones that never

do. Let go and risk the tables being turned.

We call them fools who have to dance within the flame.

Who chance the sorrow and the shame that always comes with getting burned.

The song continues standing outside the fire.

And I go back to 1993.

Right there in the mid 90s, being a kid in the big town of Petersburg, Texas, and I can

think about a time in olden days before the internet, before cell phones, before instant

streaming, where you had to tap into your television set and you had to tune in to

certain channels that all day, would play music videos according to the genre that you

wanted to hear.

In our house, it was CMT Country Music television.

We had one television.

It was in the living room. We would turn it on to play music all day, and then we would

go about our business in the house.

We might be doing chores, we might be just sitting, talking to friends, whatever it was,

we had country music, television playing on the on the, in the background.

This was because you had one chance every day to hear that favorite song of yours.

One chance that you didn't know when it was going to come, that they would play your

favorite song.

And so we would turn this on, and we would wait until that song came on that we wanted to

watch the music video for.

So we couldn't just instant stream that stuff.

We had to wait, be patient for it to come on.

Some days you would turn it on, in the morning you would listen and pretty quick that

song would come on.

You thought, cool, now I can go spend some time outside doing whatever it is I want to

do. After that, it was kind of like, Click.

Turn the TV off and go outside.

Some days you waited all day.

All day for that song to come on.

By the end of the day, the thought crosses your mind.

I bet it came on this morning.

And I just missed it.

But you had to wait for it.

You had to wait for it.

Standing outside the fire was a popular.

It was a favorite song even before I understood the meaning behind the lyrics.

I like the video.

Fire. What's there not to like about fire?

It's a good time when a when a country artist or any artist in general has flames.

But then I started to learn about the song, and I started to hear what Garth Brooks was

doing in this song. And Garth Brooks does a masterful job of separating two kinds of

people. One kind is the first group.

These are the cool ones, at least the way we talk about them who have no scars.

These are the strong ones because they can get by on their own.

We talk about them in society.

Sometimes we refer to these at least using Garth Brooks connotation here.

They play it safe.

They walk on eggshells.

They hedge their bets.

They pull their horns in these.

These phrases that we might throw out to talk about this group.

These are ones that they just kind of go along willy nilly through life.

They don't want to take any risks.

So it makes sense that people in this group have no scars because they refuse to do

anything that might create scars.

On the other side, you've got group two.

These we talk about being fools who dance within the flame.

They're the weak.

They're unable to resist the slightest chance that love might exist.

And society will also use phrases for this group.

They're risk takers.

They're adventurers.

They're eager beavers.

They're movers and shakers.

So the motivation for this group is, as the song suggests, life is not lived.

It is merely survived if you're standing outside the fire.

In a final move to drive this point home.

Brook sings, there's a love that is burning deep in my soul.

Constantly yearning to get out of control, wanting to fly higher and higher.

I can't abide living or standing outside the fire I can't Abide standing

outside of the fire.

I can't live outside the fire.

I want to risk it all.

I want to bet on love.

I want to bet on people.

I want to jump right into the flames.

Because I can't stand to be on the outside, just playing it safe.

I think as I look back on this, I want to thank Paul would have been a Garth Brooks fan,

or maybe probably more real.

Garth Brooks might have been a fan of Paul.

At least I hope so. I want to think so, because at any rate, I think this idea is a

fitting description of Paul's ministry.

I think we hear this a lot in the letters that are credited to Paul.

This idea that is repeated if you're going to live for.

If you're going to share the story of Jesus the Christ.

There's going to be risks.

There's going to be obstacles.

There's going to be struggles.

There's going to be things that try to get in your way.

If you are going to embrace this life and live this life to its full, it's not always

going to be comfortable.

It's not always going to be safe.

You are going to be challenged.

You're going to face struggles.

But we can't abide standing outside the fire.

I was reading through the the passage and thought, let me back up just a little bit and

looking at this passage in Second Corinthians, because I think Paul does a pretty good

job of bringing out a lot of the fire that he's faced in Second Corinthians chapter 11.

2 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

He says this whatever else anyone dares to boast about, we gotta be speaking like a fool.

I also dare to boast about.

I've worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, been

exposed to death again and again.

Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one.

Three times I was beaten with rods.

Once. And I've got to find my spot because I just lost it.

I was pelted with stones three times I was shipwrecked.

I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

I have constantly been on the move.

I've been in danger from rivers, in danger, from bandits, in danger, from my fellow Jews

in danger, from Gentiles in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at

sea. I've been in danger from false believers.

I've labored and toiled and have gotten no sleep.

I've gone without food.

I've hungered, I've thirsted, and have often been without food.

I've been cold.

I've been naked. Besides everything else I face daily, the pressure of my concern for all

the churches, who is weak and I do not feel weak.

Who is led into sin?

And I do not inwardly burn.

I can't abide standing outside the fire.

I think this attitude is what led him a few years later, to pen the words that are so

often repeated.

I know what it is to be in need.

I know what that feels like.

I know what it is to have plenty.

I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether I'm well fed

or whether I'm hungry, whether I'm living in plenty or in want.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Contrary to popular belief, Paul did not have a weight room scene in his mind when he was

putting this on pen and paper.

I know what this is like to struggle, he says.

And I know what it's like to not struggle.

I understand the differences in these things, but I have learned the secret to be

content. So what is the secret of being content in every situation?

I think to find that we have to go back to second Corinthians chapter 12, where Paul

2 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

says, there was given me a thorn.

A thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me.

Now what that thorn is, we're not told.

Suggestions range from a host of different things physical ailments, demonic opposition.

Some people have even taken it to mean that Paul had a stutter or I don't know, I don't

know what the thorn in the flesh was that Paul was dealing with, but I do know that he

saw it. He recognized it at work in his life.

He recognized it as something that was put there.

He recognized that thorn had a purpose.

And one thing that I've discovered in studying the Bible is that when the writer thinks

something is important, they do a pretty good job of explaining it to the readers.

So I don't think the what the thorn is is as important as understanding its role in this

life. Understanding what it was that Paul saw this thorn accomplished.

The writer continues.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it from me.

But he said to me, my grace is sufficient.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power

may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses and insults, in hardships, in

persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, I am strong.

I loved hearing these words just a little while ago because this is so powerful.

And what he's saying in this.

This is why.

That is why.

For Christ's sake, I delight in this weakness.

I delight in this thorn.

I delight in the fire.

So Paul will say, I can delight in the insults.

I can delight in the hardships.

I can delight in the persecutions.

I can delight in the difficulties.

I can delight in the storms.

I can delight in opposition.

I can delight in the struggle.

I can delight in the obstacles.

I can delight in the challenges.

I can delight in the fire because it is when I am weak, that is when I am strong.

So just as Paul saw why he had this thorn, he also saw why he could endure with this

thorn. There's a reason behind its existence.

Just as Paul found strength in Christ to live with it.

There's a big question that's been going around, and I've heard it in a lot of different

environments, but it seems to gain a lot of traction this time of the year.

And those of you that are in education, you've probably heard it to the point that you're

tired of hearing it, but you will hear it again.

What is your why?

What is your why?

This has been used over and over and over again, and quite frankly, it's been overused.

Educators, particularly administrators.

Can we find something else to ask than what is your why?

While it has been overdone a little bit, I think it does carry an interesting point.

I think it brings a lot to light about the way we view life, about the way we view the

fire. Got a video this morning I want to show you.

This is a comedian guy by the name of Michael Junior, and you may have seen this video

from time to time, but he's going to explain a little bit better about identifying your

why and why that makes sense.

So do I need to click or just let y'all?

Okay, so how do I know a lot of people when they think of the phrase, how do I know they

always want to put the what behind it?

How do I know what I'm supposed to do?

The question that you really should ask is, how do I know why I'm here?

Because when you know your why, your what becomes more clear and more impactful.

If, you know, like for instance, um, people know that I do comedy, but that's what I do.

My why is to inspire people to walk in purpose so I can do comedy, I can write books, I

can be in a movie because all of it is motivated by my why.

In fact, I have a new a new web series out called Michael Junior.

Break time.

We probably just did the six episode.

It's on YouTube. So every single Wednesday at 3:00, we drop a new episode on YouTube of

Michael Junior break time.

What it is, is it's me.

I travel around the country and I do stand up comedy.

In case you didn't know, and in the middle of my comedy set, sometime I'll stop and just

talk to my audience.

And we've been filming this and it's, you know, it's pretty cool.

So we're in Winston Salem, I'm going to show you a clip from Winston Salem, and I'm just

talking to this guy in the audience, and he tells me that he's a musical instructor at a

school. So I was like, all right, you're a musical instructor, you know?

Can you sing? Let me hear you sing a song.

So this is what happened at the last episode of Michael Junior's Break Time.

Check it out.

So, your musical director.

Yes, sir. Alright, so, um, let me get a couple.

Let me get a couple bars of, like, amazing Grace.

Can you do the first part of that? Let me go ahead.

Uh.

Is in grace.

How sweet the sound.

That saved a wretch like me.

That I could sing.

You know what I'm saying?

All right, all right. Um.

Now, won't you give me the version is if, uh, your uncle just got out of jail, you got

shot in the back when he was a kid.

I'm just saying, let me see the hood version real quick.

If you know which version I'm talking about, just see if that exists.

Let me see what you got.

Uh, amazing.

Grace, how sweet.

The sound That saved

a wretch like.

Me. I once was

lost, but now I'm found.

Was blind.

But now I

see.

Let's go. Now let's sing.

Okay. Um.

Here's what I want you to catch.

The first time I asked him to sing, he knew what he was doing.

The second time he knew why he was doing it.

When you know you're why, you're what becomes more impactful because you're walking

towards or in your purpose.

I think he does a pretty good job of kind of drawing this distinct difference between the

two. Identifying what?

Versus identifying why.

And I think one thing that you notice is this guy is is is doing this that and there is a

connection to this.

When we understand the purpose behind something, when we understand the reason behind

something, when we understand why we live our life, it totally changes the

outlook. I hope we all have something that moves us.

Maybe not singing that may not be yours.

It's certainly not mine.

But I hope we all have something that moves us to a point That causes us to step into

with everything that we are.

And just let loose.

The why is the purpose?

It is the underlying reason.

It is the motivation for doing what you do.

It's our momentum that moves us to the point that says, man, I can't abide standing

outside the fire.

I can't. I can't live just outside on the fringe, looking in and expecting other people

to do something.

I've got to jump in.

I want to jump in because there is something bigger than me that compels me to do it.

Despite its overuse, I want to ask you this morning what is your why?

What is your why for why you are here this morning.

What is your why?

For living as a reflection of Jesus.

What is your why for loving people?

What is your why?

For being a parent, a grandparent, a student, an employee, a boss?

What is the why that motivates you through that?

What is the why that causes you to say, I can't abide standing outside the fire, but

don't stop there.

Move ahead to the next question.

And that is how.

How are you willing to lean into your why and allow it to change you and those around

you? I think Paul was clearly right.

Following Christ, living the Jesus life, embracing the story and sharing the story is not

free of risks.

But it's when we are weak.

It's then that we are strong.

So I pray as a church as well as individuals, this strength moves us to the point where

we can say with complete confidence, with total conviction, that we cannot abide standing

outside the fire.

Let's pray. Father, thank you for the day.

Thank you for our time to be together, to praise you, to lift you up, and to just be in

fellowship alongside each other.

We pray that in all things that we might embrace your life, the life that you have called

us to live, that we would be transformed to bear your image and that that would be our

purpose, our motivation for doing everything that we do.

May all the things that we say, all the things that we do as the people that we are, be a

reflection of you.

We thank you for your son.

We pray this through his name.

Amen.